DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment and Argument
Applicant’s amendment and argument with respect to pending claims 1, 3 and 4 filed on August 08, 2025 have been fully considered. Examiners response to the applicant’s argument follows below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Summary of Arguments:
Regarding claim 1, Applicant argues that Inui does not teach stopping displaying the assistance image when the towed vehicle is connected to the towing vehicle, as recited in claim 1 since in Inui the rear view is displayed at all times.
Examiner’s Response:
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Inui in paragraphs [0064]-[0070] and [0111] discloses the following:
[0064] Hereinafter, of the rear view mode, a mode in which the rear image is displayed will be referred to as a “first rear view mode.” In addition, of the rear view mode, a mode in which the local bird's-eye view image is displayed will be referred to as a “second rear view mode.”
[0066] In addition, in the rear view mode, the display controller 104 may always display the rear image without displaying the local bird's-eye view image….[0070]… The display controller 104 determines that the start timing of the rear view mode has not been reached when the speed-change operation unit 7 is located at a position other than the reverse range, but determines that the start timing of the rear view mode has been reached when the position of the speed-change operation unit 7 shifts from any other range to the reverse range.
[0111] Returning back to FIG. 7, in the determination processing of S113, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 has reached the end point of the path (Yes in S113), the ECU 14 terminates the guidance of the vehicle 1 (S117), and the operation as the periphery monitoring device in the first embodiment is terminated.
As noted above, Inui discloses a mode in which the rear image is displayed “first rear view mode” and a mode in which the local bird's-eye view image is “second rear view mode.” In the rear view mode, the rear image may always be displayed without displaying the local bird's-eye view image. The starting of the rear view mode is based on determining that the speed-change operation unit shifting to the reverse range. Additionally, when it is determined that the vehicle has reached the end point of the path (FIG. 7, Yes in S113), the operation as the periphery monitoring device in the first embodiment is terminated.
Thus Inui teaches the limitation “stops displaying the assistance image when the towed vehicle is connected to the towing vehicle” (Inui ¶0111- when it is determined that the vehicle has reached the end point of the path (FIG. 7, Yes in S113), the operation as the periphery monitoring device in the first embodiment is terminated), as recited in claim 1.
Accordingly, the rejection of the pending claims is maintained.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Inui et al. (US 20180253106 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Inui discloses a driving assistance device that assists a vehicle operation performed by a driver in a towing vehicle, the driving assistance device comprising: a captured image acquisition unit configured to acquire a captured image in which a periphery of the towing vehicle is captured by an imaging device installed in the towing vehicle (Figs. 1-6, cameras 15); a bird's-eye view image generation unit configured to generate, based on the captured image, a bird's-eye view image in which the periphery of the towing vehicle is looked down from above (¶0053, 0062-0066); an image display unit configured to display at least one of the captured image and the bird's-eye view image on an image display device provided in the towing vehicle as an assistance image for assisting the vehicle operation (¶0053, 0062-0066); an image recognition unit configured to detect a coupler provided for connecting a towed vehicle that is a target to be towed by the towing vehicle to the towing vehicle through image recognition on the captured image (¶0120, 0124-0128, 0147: the display position of the hitch coupler 201 is specified by the image recognition processing); and a distance acquisition unit configured to acquire a distance from the towing vehicle to a specific point in the coupler which has been detected, wherein the image display unit displays the assistance image in a first display mode in which the bird's-eye view image is not included in a display target when the distance from the towing vehicle to the specific point in the coupler is equal to or larger than a threshold (Fig. 10, ¶0063, 0112, 0116, 0150: the display controller 104 displays the rear image on the display screen 8 when the distance between the hitch ball 16 and the hitch coupler 201 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value Dth1), and in a state where the coupler is undetectable by the image recognition unit (¶0053-0054: the periphery monitoring device may operate in the rear view mode, the rear side of the vehicle 1 is displayed, when the vehicle 1 moves backward. ¶0066: the display controller 104 may always display the rear image without displaying the local bird's-eye view image. ¶0070: the starting of the rear view mode is based on determining that the speed-change operation unit shifting to the reverse range). Note that in Inui since the rear view may be displayed when the vehicle moves backward, based on determining that the speed-change operation unit shifting to the reverse range, and also may always be displayed, displaying the rear view image can be performed in a state where the coupler is undetectable; and displays the assistance image in a second display mode in which the bird's-eye view image is included in the display target when the distance from the towing vehicle to the specific point in the coupler is less than the threshold (Fig. 14, ¶0063, 0110, 0112, 0116: displays the local bird's-eye view image when the distance between the hitch ball 16 and the hitch coupler 201 is smaller than the value Dth1), and stops displaying the assistance image when the towed vehicle is connected to the towing vehicle (¶0111: when it is determined that the vehicle has reached the end point of the path (FIG. 7, Yes in S113), the operation as the periphery monitoring device in the first embodiment is terminated).
Regarding claim 3, Inui discloses the driving assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising an operation receiving unit configured to receive an operation by the driver (¶0057-0058: when the passenger touches the positions at which the hitch ball 16 and the hitch coupler 201 are displayed respectively, the respective touch operations are detected by the operation input unit 9, and the first acquisition unit 101 acquires the respective detected touch operations as an input to specify the hitch ball 16 and an input to specify the hitch coupler 201… the first acquisition unit 101 acquires a sensor value of the steering angle sensor 19, a sensor value of the shift sensor 21, and a sensor value of the wheel speed sensor 22), wherein the image display unit switches a display mode of the assistance image from the first display mode to the second display mode in a case of receiving a predetermined operation by the driver even when the distance from the towing vehicle to the specific point in the coupler is equal to or larger than the threshold (¶0057-0058, 0062: in the rear view mode, the display controller 104 generates, based on the rear image, a local bird's-eye view image, which is a bird's-eye view image in which the images of the hitch ball 16 and the periphery of the hitch ball 16 are captured, and displays the generated local bird's-eye view image on the display screen 8.¶0066: the condition for display switching between the rear image and the local bird's-eye view image is not limited to only the condition related to the distance between the hitch ball 16 and the hitch coupler 201).
Regarding claim 4, Inui discloses the driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit displays the bird's-eye view image in an enlarged manner in accordance with the distance from the towing vehicle to the specific point in the coupler when the assistance image is displayed in the second display mode (Figs. 20-22: ¶0135).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHNAEL AYNALEM whose telephone number is (571)270-1482. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9AM-5:30 PM ET.
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/NATHNAEL AYNALEM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2488